Archive and Search Room

The museum houses the business archive of Cable & Wireless, which you can search on the The National Archives website. Cable and Wireless has roots dating back to 1870 and the laying of the first underwater cable out of Porthcurno. The museum’s enviable archive includes thousands of unique records from Porthcurno’s lasting communication legacy, including detailed staff records dating back to the first telegraph companies.

Email [email protected] to enquire about availability. Please include:– Your preferred visit dates– Your area of research– The ID number of any documents you have identified as being of interest on the online archive catalogue.

Please allow five working days for a response.

You will be contacted regarding availability for the dates requested and asked to confirm which date you will visit.

You will be contacted confirming your booking and sent guidelines regarding using the Search Room. Please ensure you read this before your visit.

We ask that you provide as much advanced notice as possible if you decide to cancel your visit.

If you have any enquiries regarding the archive or collection, please contact [email protected]

We have varied opportunities for volunteers to work with our collections. Our current volunteers are cataloguing and digitising our photograph collection, which ranges from the late 1800s to the present day. Including photographs of telegraph employees and their families, cableships, telegraph stations around the world, events and VIPs, they provide a fascinating insight into the world of telegraphy.